Smoke-plug.



D. McKENZlE.

SMOKE PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED mm: 8. x914.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

WITNESSES .INVENTOB M Attorney.

CO. FHDTo-LITHOu WASHINGTON. D. C.

DUNCAN MGKENZIE, or WINNIPEG, M NITOBA, CANADA.

SMOKE-PLUG.

To all wh-omcitmay concern:

Beit known that. I, DUNCAN MoKENzIn,

Y of the city of Winnipeg, in the Province of q fication. 1

l A Fig. 5 is a vertical sectionalview centrally through the cup-shaped filler.

Manitoba, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Smoke: Plugs, of which the following isthe speci- The invent on relates to improvements smoke plugs and the object of the inventlon is to provide a plug, which can be readily inserted within a pipe and easily expanded to close the pipe, a particular feature of the V invention being that theordinary Y -connection found in water systems can be closed with the employment of a single plug instead of two plugs as is now commonly used.

A further object of the invention is,to-

provide an elfective plug having but few parts and onewhich' can be constructed at a reasonable price and requires but little skill inhandling. 0

With the aboveobjects in vlew'theinvention consists essentiallyin-the arrangement and. construction of parts hereinaftermore particularly described and later, pointed out in the appended claims, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing infwhich:

' Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional In the drawmglike characters of reference indicate corresponding parts ineach figure.

1' represents theusual Y-connection as found inwater installations which connection presents the usual branches 2 and; It is here remarked that in practice the upper end of the Y-connection; communicates with the usual drain pipe of a building while the lower'end-opens to the sewer pipe and the branch pipe 3 receives a' screw plug which whenremoved allows of access to the interior; of the if-connection: for testing and cleaning purposes.

To understand the use of a smoke ,plug

it is explained thatafter the, water connectionshavebeen made in a building they are; subjected to what is termed a smoke and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27,1915.

Application filed June 8, 1914. Serial No. 843,901.

water test. In order to carry this out it is necessary to close the. connection to the sewer and this is always effected in the Y connection, the smoke plug being inserted in the connection after the screw plug in, the branch 3' has been removed. In present practicetwo expansible members are usually used, one to close the branch pipe 3 andthe other to close the lower end of the Y-connection leading to the sewer.

I wish here to point out that my plug is constructed so that only one expansible member is required, this being utilized to close the Y-connection above the branch 3. By designing my plug so that it, can be in.-

serted and expanded in the above location I amable to do away with thetwo expansible members as at present employed. Accordlngly I am able to provide a very light,

serviceable andeflicient plug as compared with the more or less heavy complicated and costly plugs now customarily in use.

Referring: again to the drawing: 4 represents a main shank having a centrally located-vertically disposed. square opening 5 therein and provided at the upper end with a circular faceplate 6 and at the lower end with an ofiset boss 7 having a hollow interior which is continuous with the opening 5. The end of the boss, has. a coned face as shown at 7 to provide a seat for the tapered inner end of a hollow square pipe 8 which has the outerend thereof rounded as shown. The face plate 6 is supplied with a projectingfcircular rib6 for a purpose later eX-, plained.

9 is a roller located at the juncture of the boss with the shank and rotatably mounted on a cross pinlO.

11 is a circular upper face plate similar to that 6, which'face plate is supplied on the upper side with a permanent eye 12 and on the under side with a, projecting guide spindle 13 slidably received within the square opening 5 of the shank. A circular rib 14 projects also from the under side of theupper face plate, this rib being directly opposite the former rib.

15 is a rubber band inserted betweenthe face plates and passing around the ribs. This band isdesigned to be expanded upon the face plates being drawn together.

16 is an adjusting bolt having the outer end fitted with a nut 17 and a washer 18 and the inner endsquaredasshownat 19, the

squared inner end being designed to fit slidably within the open center of the pipe 8.

A flexible connection such as a-cable 20 is secured to the squared end of the adjusting bolt and passes downwardly through the pipe, around the roller9 and upwardly to the lower end of the spindle 18 to which it is permanently fastened.

The face plates and rubber band form what I term an expansible member. This expansible member is arranged so that it can be inserted within the Y-connection through the branch pipe 3.

To insert it one first removes the nut 17 and washer 18 to allow the pipe 8 to be withdrawn. The shank and expansible member are then inserted through the branch pipe 3, being forced up by the hand into the upper branch 2 of the Y-connection. The pipe 8 is then replaced in the original position and the washer and nut are applied. The nut is screwed down on the bolt by the application of a wrench or other convenient tool and it is here to be noticed that the square end 19 of the bolt 16 at this time serves to prevent thebolt from turning in the pipe and consequently avoids any twisting of the cable.

As the nut is tightened up, the cable isdrawn taut with the result that the shank is drawn down and the band expanded. The complete plug in reality becomes a rigid structure owing to the tightening of the cable. The nut can be tightened to insure a smoke and water tight joint between the plug and the pipe in which it is inserted. To remove the plug it is only necessary to undo the nut and withdraw the parts in the same manner as they were inserted.

I wish to call particular attention to the socketing, so to speak, of the inner end of the pipe 8 in the boss and the 'manner in which the j oint here formed is tightened up or loosened depending on the tension brought on the cable. It is obvious that if the pipe were formed as an integral part of the shank it would be impossible toinsert the plug in the pipe in the position shown. By socketing it as described this is rendered possible and therein lies one of the chief features of my invention. The plug can be used with various sizes of pipes very readily. Where a large pipe is to be closed I provide a cup shaped rubber filler 21 with a central opening 22 therein large enough to admit the shank. By placing this filler over the expansible member a large pipe can be plugged while still using my plug.

I might remark that the filler mentioned will be placed in position on the shank and around the expansible member when the pipe is removed; I mention this as, as far as I am aware, there is no other plug constructed in a manner which will allow a'cup shaped filler to be placed thereon to advan tage. c

What I claimas my invention is: 1. A smoke plug comprising an expansible member fitted with an extending shank,

a pipe having one end demountably asso 1 being located at the free end of the pipe, as The plug is used in the following Way:

and for the purpose specified.

2; A smoke plug comprising an ex anse ble member fitted with an extending shank, apipe disposed at an angle totheshank and having the inner end demountably asso-.

means located at the outer end of the pipe for adjusting the tension in the cable and thereby eifecting the expansion of the expansible member, as and'for the purpose specified.

3; A smoke plug" comprisingan expansi ble member fitted with an extending shank,

a pipe'extending at an angle from the shank and having the inner end thereof-demount-- ablyassociated with the shank, an adjusting' bolt carried by the outer end of the pipe 8 and fitted with a washer and an adjusting nut bearing on the latter end of the' pipe and a cable connecting the bolt withthe expansible member'and passing through the pipe and shank, as and for the purpose specified. p

4:. A smoke plu comprising an expansible member, a cable connected with the expansible member and demountable means associated with the expansible member and the cable' for adjusting the tension in the cable and effecting the expansionof' the expansible member, as and for the purposespecified. I V

5. A smoke plug' comprising an expansi- -bl e member fitted with an open centered extending shank, a pipe disposed at an angle to the-shank and having th'e-inner end thereof demountably associated with the shank, an adjusting bolt located at'the outer end of the'pi'pe and extending within the same, an

adjusting nut on the; bolt andengageable i with thepipe end and acable having one end securedto theinner end of the bolt'an'd the otherend connected with the expansible' member, said cable passing through the open centers of the shank and purpose specified.

6. A smoke plug comprising an expansipipe,"as and for the" ble member fitted with an extending-open centered shank, a'hollow pipe disposed at an 1 angle to theshank and having the inner'end' thereof socketed in the shank, an adjusting bolt' extending within the Outer end, of the pipe and fitted with an adjusting nut engageable with the latter end of said pipe, means preventing the turning of the bolt in the pipe and a cable' connecting the inner end of the bolt with the expansible member, said cable passin through the open center 01; the pipe ands ank, as and for the purpose specified. 7. A smoke plug comprising an expansible member'fitted with an extending open centered shank, a pipe having a hollow square center and the inner end thereof socketed in the shank, an adjusting bolt 10-" ,7 cated'in the outer end of .the pipe and having the-inner end thereof squared to fit the square center of the pipe, an adjusting nut on the bolt,-said nut normally engaging the adjoining end of the pipe, a roller;'-located in the shank at the juncture of the shank 1 and pipe and a cable connecting the inner end of the bolt with the expansible member,

said cable passing through the open centers of the pipe and shank and around the roller,

'as and for the purpose specified.

8. A smoke plug comprising a shankfitted with an open center and carrying-a lower face plate supplied onthe upper side with shank and having the inner end thereof.

socketed in the shank, an adjusting bolt located'at the outer end of the pipe and having the inner end squared to fit the interior opening in. the pipe, an adjusting nutmounted on the bolt and engaging normally with the outer end of the pipe, a roller con tained in the shank immediately adjoining the juncture of the shank with the pipe and a cable. connecting the inner end of the bolt with the spindle, said'cable passing around the roller, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at -Winnipeg this 14th day of May 1914.

'1 DUNCAN MoKENZIE.

"In the presence of G. S. ROXBURGH, V S. SELVERT.

I Copies of this patent may be obtained for vfive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. l 

